Chapter 180: Fine Horse
As General Lu cried, all the Fanyang Army soldiers followed suit and started crying too.
Four thousand men had come marching in high spirits to fight the Pei Family Army, only to suffer a great defeat, with over half killed or wounded, and many more becoming deserters. Now only these few hundred remained, having emptied their family fortune just to live on ignominiously.
How could they ever hold their heads high as men in the future?
How could they swallow this humiliation?
Hundreds of soldiers crying and sniveling—it was truly an unseemly sight.
General Lu wiped his face with his sleeve: “Enough, everyone wipe away your tears. Real men bleed but do not cry. We’ve suffered a big loss this time. Once we get back, we’ll close the barracks gates and train hard. When the opportunity comes later, we’ll take revenge.”
The soldiers weren’t all reckless fools; someone muttered: “The Pei Family Army has only been formed for two years, yet they’re already this powerful. In a few more years, we won’t stand a chance against them!”
“In my view, we should never provoke the Pei Family Army again. Fanyang Commandery is already a large territory, enough for us to live well.”
“Exactly. Yan Prefecture is already Pei Family Army territory; we should stay out of each other’s way.”
General Lu had sharp ears and heard every word clearly; he wanted to curse them out but barely held back.
The soldiers had been scared out of their wits by the Pei Family Army.
If he were honest with himself, even he felt a chill when thinking of Pei Qinghe’s ruthlessness in killing; he wasn’t sure if he would have the courage to seek revenge later.
“Let’s go!” General Lu forced himself to rally his spirits and encourage the men: “If we move quickly, we can get back to the Fanyang Barracks in seven or eight days.”
Few soldiers had warhorses; infantry were the mainstay. They were used to marching on foot. They grumbled from their mouths, but their feet did not slack.
After half a day’s march, all the soldiers stopped to rest, eating dry rations and drinking cold water.
They opened slender cloth bags, grabbed a handful of dry rations, and stuffed them into their mouths. Then, a soldier exclaimed in amazement: “These dry rations—why are they so fragrant!”
General Lu snorted lightly: “Shallow! How good can military rations taste!”
Wait!
Huh? What kind of military rations are these? Why are they so fragrant?
General Lu ate a handful, then another, drank a few mouthfuls of water, and even let out a satisfied belch.
His personal soldier nearby muttered softly: “The Pei Family Army’s dry rations are much better than what we eat.”
“Come to think of it, even during the time we were captives, the two meals a day were better than our usual fare.”
General Lu: “…”
General Lu felt a deep humiliation from the soul. But this was an undeniable fact: the Pei Family Army truly ate well, preparing enough dry rations for hundreds in a single night. This was no special show—it was their everyday military rations.
General Lu irritably slung the grain bag over his shoulder and said loudly: “Once you’re full, let’s keep moving.”
…
In this battle, the Pei Family Army also suffered heavy casualties.
Over thirteen hundred were killed in action, more than seventy suffered serious wounds, and countless had light injuries.
Elite soldiers painstakingly trained for two or three years—nearly three in ten were lost.
Still, it was ultimately a great victory for the Pei Family Army. Those who survived the fires of war were the true elite soldiers. More importantly, they gained over a hundred thousand silver taels and five hundred sturdy warhorses.
Zhao Da, who earned military merit, got a fine horse and was grinning from ear to ear with joy.
Zheng Xiaoying also earned military merit in this battle, having killed two soldiers. Pei Qinghe promoted her to battalion commander and gave her a horse as well.
Pei Yun stayed a few days and took a hundred warhorses when she left.
Feng Chang shamelessly wrote asking for horses. Gu Lian, still recovering from injuries in bed, heard there were horses and shakily wrote a wobbly letter with a charcoal pen.
After reading the letter, Pei Qinghe couldn’t help but chuckle: “It seems Gu Lian’s injuries aren’t serious; she already has the strength to sit up and write a pitiful letter.”
Pei Yan and the others all laughed.
Mao Hongling smiled and asked: “How many warhorses do you plan to give them?”
Pei Qinghe had already planned it: “When Cousin Sister Yun left, she took a hundred. Send fifty warhorses each to Gu Lian and Feng Chang.”
At Pei Qinghe’s command, a hundred warhorses were divided into two groups and sent separately to Quanzhou County and Yongnu County.
The remaining three hundred horses stayed in Pei Family Village. All the leaders had horses now, and everyone was beaming with delight.
Amid the festive horse distribution, even Yang Huai and the others visiting Pei Family Village were infected with the joy. When Pei Yan showed off her new black fine horse, Yang Huai smiled and suggested: “How about we two race a lap?”
Pei Yan agreed without a word.
“Horse racing needs stakes to decide a winner,” Yang Huai proposed again: “Like this—if you win, I’ll give you my horse. If I win, that black horse of yours is mine.”
Pei Yan gave Yang Huai a sideways glance: “Your horse is a nag; it can’t compare to my black horse!”
Yang Huai was quite annoyed: “Do you even know quality when you see it! My green horse is a genuine fine horse from outside the passes. My great-uncle paid a fortune for it. Your black horse looks decent, but it can’t match my green horse.”
Pei Yan immediately caught on and sneered: “Oh! So you just want to cheat me out of my horse!”
Having spent a few days with Pei Yan, Yang Huai knew her temper well and gave her a sideways glance: “Just say if you dare race me or not!”
Pei Yan nearly jumped up: “Of course I dare! Let’s race!”
Pei Yan led her new black horse to the village entrance. Yang Huai held his green warhorse.
In terms of appearance, both were rare fine horses. The black horse was tall-legged with smooth coat; the green horse was even taller, holding its head high with a majestic air.
A crowd followed to watch the excitement. Pei Xuan and Pei Feng cheered for their cousin sister. Yang Huai’s guards behind him also shouted encouragement; it was extremely lively.
A familiar voice rang out: “What’s with all the commotion?”
The crowd immediately parted.
A delicate and pretty girl in gray cloth clothes walked over with a smile. Beside her was the fair and handsome Steward Shi.
“Cousin Sister Qinghe!” Pei Yan’s eyes lit up, and she shouted loudly: “Perfect timing. I’m racing Yang Huai, with our horses as stakes. Be our witness!”
Pei Qinghe smiled and said oh, her gaze drifting to Yang Huai’s face.
Yang Huai had dark skin, tall and martial; standing beside the sturdy Pei Yan, his presence was undiminished. He did not meet Pei Qinghe’s eyes but lowered his head respectfully: “I invited Pei Yan to race horses for a match. Please allow it, Sixth Sister Pei.”
Pei Qinghe smiled faintly: “Horse racing always needs a prize. I bet on Pei Yan to win! The stake is one thousand shi of military rations!”
Yang Huai was visibly moved.
Grain prices were soaring now. One thousand shi of grain could buy five hundred able-bodied men.
Pei Yan was stunned too and blurted out: “Then what does Yang Huai stake if he loses?”
Pei Qinghe smiled without speaking, looking at Yang Huai.
Yang Huai’s dark face flushed slightly; he gritted his teeth: “If I lose, I’ll willingly become Miss Pei Yan’s son-in-law!”
Pei Yan: “…”
